My Beautiful Sin
by Boadicia
Summary: Alternate Universe, sequel to World of Darkness. Dante is in the process of annexing Mundus's territories to his own, but things go awry when a rogue angel upsets the cosmic balance when she uses a taboo artifact to strip all demons of their powers.
1. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Lilith sat alone at a table in the corner of a crowded cabaret. She could hardly hear herself think over the blaring music coming from the stage. It was karaoke night, and the band were blasting her sensitive ears with indecipherable rock music. She unconciously covered her ears while keeping her eyes on the front door.

"Dad picked the worst possible day to expand the sovereign state, and he had the nerve to drag me along." She nearly jumped out of her skin when someone touched her on the shoulder. She snatched the wrist and twisted it before bothering to see who touched her. It was a young man about her age. He did his best to hide that he was in pain. Lilith gasped when she realized what she was doing and released him. "What do you want?" she asked with a tinge of impatience.

"Sorry," the man said. "I just wanted to ask for a dance."

"Oh." Lilith leaned back in her seat. "I can't. I have to watch the front door."

"Why?"

"I'm expecting company."

Without waiting for an invitation, the man took a seat beside her. "You haven't been stood up, have you?"

Lilith didn't like how he'd asked that. "No. I know whom I'm looking for, and they haven't arrived yet."

"They?"

"There's five of them, and they're not my dates. They're coming for a very important meeting upstairs."

"With whom?"

Lilith looked at him with confusion. "You don't get out much, do you? Are you a native to this province?"

The man appeared insulted. "Of course I am. I was one of the personal thralls of Koromos before he and his father disappeared a few weeks ago."

Lilith slid her seat back. Before she could think of an excuse for it, she saw the front door open. The five men she'd been expecting entered the cabaret one behind the other. "Thank goodness," she mumbled as she stood. "Don't take this the wrong way," she said to her guest, "but duty calls."

She pushed him back into his seat as he tried to follow her. She jumped from the platform her table was on and ran to the five men at the door. She announced herself by sliding across the floor and coming to a complete stop in front of them. "Are you looking for me?" she asked.

"That depends," the nearest man said. He looked her up and down as if trying to visually undress her. She deliberately ignored it.

"I'm assuming you're all looking for your employer," Lilith said before he could continue. "Just follow me." Without waiting for a response, she turned and began walking towards a stairway on the other side of the cabaret. The leader of the five men followed her without question. The other four had to muster the courage to do the same. Lilith led them up the stairway and across a catwalk connected to a large chamber. If she'd bothered to turn around, she would have noticed the lewd looks they were giving her. One of the men leaned over the railing and spat at one of the dancers below. Lilith stopped at a sliding door and waited for all five to catch up to her.

"I'll tell you this only once," she informed them. "The traditional chain of command has been destroyed. Please make this as painless as possible for all of you." She slid the door open and let them enter the empty chamber. When she'd closed the door, she returned to the catwalk and leaned over the railing. She saw Dante standing in the middle of oblivious dancers. She gestured to the door, and he nodded. Lilith sighed to supress a giggle. "They're all about to get a nasty surprise."

Lilith turned back to the staircase and met him halfway down. "How'd it go?" she asked.

Dante flashed a bloodstained dagger under her chin. "He went quietly, though not without a fight. Now that Mundus, Koromos, and the regent Bakara are out of the way, this will be a piece a cake. It's just a matter of getting the five provincal seneschals to bow down."

"Don't underestimate them."

"I didn't." He navigated around her to continue up the stairs. Lilith shrugged and walked down to the dance floor.

(X)

The seneschals sat at a rectangular table with six chairs that had already been prepared for them. By habit, none of them sat at the head of the table. The chairs somehow managed to remain cold, no matter how long they were seated. A woman walked into the room with a tray of drinks and set them in the center of the table. The seneschal next to her grabbed her arm.

"We're tired of waiting. When do we get to see our boss?"

"Whenever he's ready," she answered in a soft voice. "I've been ordered to take care of you in the meantime."

"Then feed us!" another seneschal demanded across the table. The woman was startled by his booming voice. She walked as quickly as she could around the table. One of the men slapped her behind as she passed him. She broke into a run and closed the sliding door.

A seneschal reached for a drink. "I suppose this isn't so bad."

"Don't get comfortable," another said. "This could be a trap. If the regent Bakara is dead, as the girl implied, then we have no reason to believe that we are not next on the list. Power shifts are not a clean business, especially when the entire chain of command has been disrupted."

The doors opened again. Two other women entered with trays of food. Without speaking, they served the seneschals and left just as quickly.

"Now that is weird," a third seneschal said. "I suppose that white haired girl will be next to tell us the meeting's been canceled."

"Don't be such a pessimist," the second said. "If I see her again, I'll want to wring her pretty little neck."

"Yes," the fourth said as he lit a cigarette. "She is beautiful. It makes you want to do more than just wring her neck. I'd like to wring something else on her, too."

"Do you think she's a virgin?" the third asked.

"I hope so," the fourth answered. "It would be fun to find out. The hard way."

"Yeah. That's one field I'd love to plow."

The fifth seneschal glared at the third. "Your metaphors suck. Can't you say that in a more intelligent way?"

"Okay. I'd like to fuck her. So what? Who in here doesn't? It's just a question of which one gets first dibs."

They all laughed. The noise fell silent the instant the door slid open. They all stared at Dante as he allowed their brains to register his presence. He nodded once to them before stepping into the room and closing the door. "So, you did decide to come. A wise choice." He walked to the only empty seat at the head of the table and sat. On his way to the chair, he took the cigarette from the smoking seneschal and put it out against the tabletop.

"What did you do?" a seneschal asked. "What happened to Bakara?"

"You want to start off like that? Fine." Dante leaned forward to remove the knife. "Will this answer your question?" He flung the bloodstained knife across the table. No one dared to touch it.

"Do you think you can terrorize us into submission?" a seneschal demanded.

"I shouldn't have to. You should submit by default. You did so for Bakara and his two superiors when he was your leader. Now I am."

"What do we know of your leadership?"

"I gained it fair and square. He practically threw himself onto my knife."

The eldest seneschal slammed his hand against the table. "Do you imply that our triumverate was inadequate?"

Dante waved his hand dismissively. "Not at all. Its time was simply up."

"Do not speak so casually of Mundus and his government."

"Why shouldn't I? If it was so great, then why is the entire triumverate dead?"

The seneschal jumped to his feet. A ball of sparking energy flashed to life in his palm. Dante stood also with a ball of fire in his hand. He launched the fireball before the seneschal could do the same. The fireball rammed threw the energy ball and smashed into the wall. The energy ball dissipated.

"Sit," Dante ordered, "and live." The seneschal slowly lowered himself into his seat. Dante wiggled his fingers and launched a spray of frost over the burning hole in the wall. His eyes swept over each seneschal. "Any other comments?" Each man turned his eyes away. "I knew you would understand." Dante sat and leaned back. "Is there anyone else who would like to test his testosterone against me?"

The seneschal who had been smoking turned towards him. Dante met him with his own gaze. "What?" The seneschal lowered his eyes as if in shame. "I know what you're thinking," Dante said. "You think I'm just a power hungry maniac? On my side of the world everyone said the same thing about Mundus. Don't worry. I haven't doomed anyone, but I demand unwavering fealty. You each must pledge your allegiance to me right now."

"And if we don't?"

"I'm glad you asked." Everyone turned to the door as it slid open again. Lilith walked into the room with a large bowl of walnuts. Dante quietly noted the lascivious looks the seneschals gave her. She walked to Dante's side and placed the bowl in front of him. "Gentlemen," Dante said, "I'd like to introduce you to someone." He wrapped his arm around her elbow to make her stand still. "This is my daughter, Lilith."

Dante fought back a chuckle as he watched the seneschals' faces drop with shock. One of them choked on the sandwich he'd been served earlier. He let them fret for a while before letting her go. "Go. Play." She waved tauntingly at each one as she passed them. The room was still filled with embarrassment long after she left.

"If anyone puts their hands on anything of mine," Dante said, "I will break him, or her, in half. If anyone touches my daughter, I'll slaughter you like pigs. Now, where was I? Oh, yes. The pledges. Who would like to be first?" No one made a move. "Don't all volunteer at once."

"Look," the one to his immediate right said, "you'll have to forgive us. We do not appreciate being strong-armed nor intimidated into anything."

Dante ran a knuckle over his chin. "How do you like your walnuts?"

They all looked at him with confusion. "Walnuts?"

"Walnuts," Dante repeated. "Your walnuts, gentlemen!" Dante reached into the bowl. He held a walnut between his index and middle fingers and another between his middle and ring fingers. The seneschals quickly understood his meaning.

"No one stands against me. I would hate to have to punish someone." He tossed the walnuts into the air and caught them both in one hand. "Remember this. I am the alpha of this wolf pack." With a slight movement of his hand, the walnuts shattered in his fist. He fought another chuckle as each seneschal crossed his legs. He sprinkled what was left of the walnuts onto the table. "Like I said, who wants to go first?"

(X)

For the first time, Lilith was seeing the cabaret from the stage. The floor was crowded with psyched out dancers. She led the band through a hard rock song. She was beginning to sweat from the heat of the lights. Her fingers were beginning to ache from plucking the guitar strings too hard. When she finished the number, she looked up to the second floor. The five seneschals were descending the stairs as if they were running for their lives. Dante was whistling as he stood on the catwalk.

All eyes turned upwards. "It is done!" He called to everyone below. "You have been annexed! Now bow down to your new emperor and Second God!"

To Lilith's surprise, everyone actually dropped down to their knees. She looked at her father with a sense of hatred. She knew what he was about to do and desperately wished he wouldn't.

"What are you doing?" the bassist asked her from the floor. "Why aren't you kneeling?"

Lilith knew his question was about to be answered. She removed the guitar and dropped it. On cue, Dante pointed at her. "Behold and revere the First Goddess!"

She felt all eyes turn towards her. "I was hoping to have a normal day today," she mouthed to him.

Dante mouthed back, "I'm sorry."

Lilith sighed and shook her head. She jumped down to the dance floor. Her eyes followed the five seneschals as they quickly left the cabaret. She held both of her hands out as people stood one at a time to press the back of her hands against their foreheads as a sign of reverence. When they were all done a half hour later, she glared up at her father on the catwalk. He tilted his head to grant her leave. She stomped off towards the exit.

Dante pretended to ignore her. He jumped from the catwalk to the dance floor below. He held his own hands out to repeat the ritual. When the last was done, he seized the hand of the last person, who happened to be a woman. He checked her fingers to make sure she wasn't wearing a ring. Then he asked, "Would like to take me somewhere to eat?" Keeping her eyes to the floor, the woman nodded nervously. "Lead on."


	2. Dangerous Wishes

Dangerous Wishes

Lilith walked into the nearest plaza and suddenly wished she hadn't. A new statue of Sparda, the first one in the new territoies, was being dedicated. It was his demon form with the arms outstretched as if to embrace something in a behemoth hug. She watched the first person drop a handful of flowers at the statue's feet. Lilith took one step back in hopes of leaving unnoticed. She wasn't that lucky. Not realizing whom she was, one person shoved her from behind. By habit, she struck him across the chest. He screamed and dropped to the ground. Lilith felt all eyes turn towards her.

"Dammit," she muttered. Everyone, except for a few, fell to their knees. She ignored the few disobedient ones long enough to approach the statue. Rather than fly to the top as she usually did, she slowly climbed to the statue's shoulder and sat on the bicep. No one made a move below. No one would unless the few who were still standing decided to kneel.

"What would my father do?" she asked. She pointed a finger at one of the men still standing. He stared up at her defiantly. Lilith stared back as a bolt of lightning flashed from her hand. It knocked him off the ground. He landed on the other side of the plaza and rolled into the street. The final few immediately dropped to the ground. After a few seconds of the obligatory worship, they all stood and continued making offerings to the statue. Lilith stretched out across the arm and fell asleep.

(X)

Lilith found herself standing on the edge of a cliff. She sat with her legs dangling and stared up at the night sky. She nearly fell asleep from the waves crashing below. Her reverie was broken when she sensed someone sit beside her. Torn between fear and curiosity, she opened her eyes to see her visitor. He sat beside her but didn't return the gaze.

Lilith decided to speak first. "What are you doing here?"

He still didn't look at her. "I should ask you that. This is my place you're visiting. Not the other way around."

"Whatever." She looked him over when she realized he had a recent change of wardrobe. He wore black leather from head to toe that made him look remarkably like Vergil. "What do you want?"

"Excuse me?" He finally bothered to look at her. "I didn't bring you here. You came on your own." He unexpectedly reached for her face and wiped something from her right eye. She leaned back as he showed it to her. It was a blood smear.

"What is this?" she asked with a shaky voice.

"I already told you. It's a gift."

"Why? What does it mean? And what if I bleed to death?"

The man laughed. "That's impossible. It's my blood, not yours."

"Then what good is it?"

His face fell. "You'll need it. If your life is truly in danger, it'll be the only thing that can save you."

"Are you prophesizing?"

His only response was a shrug. Lilith tapped his shoulder. He responded to the touch, though she thought her hand passed through him. "What is it, child?"

"Are you here to teach me something, or what?"

"You have to teach yourself. I'm merely a guide. I know things aren't easy for you, with your mother and uncle dead, and people treat you like a goddess."

"That's the part I hate the most."

"That's too damn bad." The man looked up at the moon. "Something stirs in the air. Something beyond this world."

"You're doing it again."

"Shut up." He pointed at the moon and then at her. "You're going to die. Soon."

Lilith leaned back. "Don't tell me that. You better be fucking joking."

"I'm not. You're going to die. Unless."

Lilith tilted her head. "Unless what? Don't leave me hanging like that."

The man moved as if to answer, then he closed his mouth and smiled. He shrugged and looked away. "It doesn't matter. I trust that you'll find a way out." He pretended to look at a watch that he wasn't wearing. "Duty calls. I have somewhere to be." He stood and walked away from the cliff.

Lilith pulled her feet up and rolled to her knees. "I won't die," she said defiantly. She looked at the shadow he cast against the moonlight. "You won't let me, will you, Grandpa?"

He stopped when she addressed him. He turned to her, kissed his hand, and bowed. "No point in denying it."

"Why didn't you just admit it?"

"Why? You already know." With a single leap into the air, he transformed and flew off.

Lilith attempted to chase after him. Instead, she felt herself lose her balance.

(X)

Lilith awoke still lying on the statue. She reached out to grab the nearest thing, which turned out to be the hem of someone's coat. She pulled herself back onto the statue's arm. The owner of the coat waited patiently for her to do so before he said anything.

"Had a bad dream?" he asked.

Lilith glared at him. "That's one way of putting it."

Dante jerked his coat tail from her grip. Lilith's eyes were suddenly drawn to Dante's bottom lip. She leaned in closer for a better look. He had a new labret piercing under his lower lip. "See something you like?" he teased.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking why the hell not. If I were human I wouldn't even be able to talk right now."

"If you're looking for shock value, you found some of it."

"Oh, grow up. I hear you had a little skirmish with someone down below."

"How do you know?"

"He's still lying unconscious in the middle of the street. No one has dared to touch him."

Lilith saw the body he spoke of. "Why has everyone avoided him?"

"Because he brought down the wrath of a goddess. They're afraid of being jinxed."

Lilith cursed as she sat on the statue again. "That was the last thing I wanted to do."

Though she didn't want to, she waited until everyone had finished giving their offerings below before jumping to the ground. She noticed from the corner of her eye that several people were planting something with vine support sticks. She knew automatically that it was a new garden of evening glories. She continued walking in a poor attempt to ignore them. If she'd turned around, she would have seen Dante following her. He caught up to her and turned her by her shoulder.

"You're acting a little less than divine today," he said matter-of-factly.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about that little show you gave in the cabaret today, and I don't mean the music. I mean the way you reacted when I revealed your identity."

Lilith sighed. "You couldn't wait just one day before doing that?"

"Today was an important day. You knew that."

"Yes, but only for you. I just wanted one day out of my life to at least pretend I was normal."

"Compared to what? This world has never been normal since the day Mundus first set foot onto it. Though he's gone, it still isn't the way it should be."

"You know what I mean. I mean a day where I wasn't a princess, and I wasn't a goddess. I wanted to be like everyone else around here."

"Fine. I understand."

"Do you?" Lilith asked sarcastically.

Dante could feel the hostility rising. "I will be the first to admit that this isn't the life I wanted for you, but I do my best. I have done nothing less."

The words came out before Lilith's brain registered their meaning. "Ever since I was born into this fucked up family my life has been nothing but hell!"

Lilith nearly dropped dead from fright when Dante's hands shot out and grasped her neck. Though he wasn't squeezing her throat, he held tightly enough to make her panic. He spoke as if he were simultaneously fighting the urge to cry and the urge to scream in rage. "I have always done right by you, and you know it! I did not choose this for myself, let alone for you." Dante slightly shook her head with each statement. "When Mundus began his reign upon the Earth, my mother was captured and taken into the Underworld as a slave. She was fortunate enough to attract my father's good graces, and Mundus let him have her. When Vergil and I were born, Sparda was able to spare her of the cannibalistic naming ceremony, but she still died before my brother and I rebelled against Mundus and came to the Upperworld. That's the only reason you became the First Goddess instead of her. You cry about losing your mother? Well, I cry for mine, too! My mother, your mother, my brother, all died for this family! Don't you ever disrespect this family again!"

Tears of fear and sudden shame flowed down Lilith's face. "I'm sorry."

She sighed with relief when Dante's hands fell to her shoulders. His eyes were focused above her head. "If you want your day of normality, take it now, while you can." He moved as if to walk past her, but he stopped and leaned into her ear. "Be careful what you wish for. You might get it."

(X)

Isaiah ran through the forest in a desperate attempt to catch up to Ariel. He nearly tripped over a root, then caught himself and continued running. He could not stop until he saw a cliff up ahead. He stepped carefully to the edge and peered over. Soaking wet, Ariel was standing below on the other side of a raging river. In her hands was a black crystal.

"Oh no," Isaiah said to himself. "She found it."

Ariel held up the black crystal as if to taunt him. "I have one. There's only one more." She disappeared into the forest beyond the river.

Isaiah thought about jumping after her, but he knew he could not take on Ariel alone. There was no way he'd catch up to her. "I need help, and I know exactly where to look."


	3. Deal with the Devil

Deal with the Devil

Lilith pressed herself against the glass wall of the Mithras Tower. She sealed her mouth against the glass and blew until her jaws flapped. "Hey!" Dante called as he walked into the room. She turned and leaned against the glass. Dante pointed at her. "How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?"

"Just one more time." She watched Dante drop himself before the computer console. He was dressed all in black leather, which instantly reminded her of her vision. "You look a lot like your father."

Dante turned from the projected screen that floated in midair. "What? How the hell would you know that?"

Lilith shrugged. "Just a guess."

She stepped behind him to see what he was doing. The projection displayed a map of the planet. The sovereign state was marked in blue across North America, South America excluding the southern tip, north and west Africa, and Europe. Mundus's territories were marked in red across all of Asia, the Pacific Islands, and the rest of Africa. Dante touched the red border in Africa and extended it to the east coast. Then he pulled it a little ways below the equator. Then he leaned back in the chair.

"That's it. That's what we got."

"It's impressive." She rubbed the top of his head. "I'm heading out. I'll be back."

"Don't get into any trouble."

"Who? Me?"

"Or I'll kill you."

Lilith gave him a thumbs up before leaving.

(X)

Isaiah watched people walk in and out of the temple in the center of the city. He held his hands together as if in prayer as he slowly worked his way up the stairs. He slipped through the doors to find the building mostly empty. Only three people were kneeled at the altar, and each was doing something different. Isaiah stepped up behind a woman holding an infant. She mumbled something quickly over the infant before reaching into a bowl and wiping water across the baby's forehead.

"Shouldn't a priest be doing that?" Isaiah asked.

The woman startled as she noticed him. "What?"

"Shouldn't a priest do that?"

The woman covered the baby's face. "You must not have been paying attention. There are no priests."

"Don't you think you should get some?"

The woman stood and glared at him. "Are you making fun of me?"

Isaiah decided that this was an opportunity. "I don't have a sense a humor that I am aware of. I am . . .unwonted . . . to the change of politics."

"Obviously. There are no priests anywhere. The Second God doesn't allow them."

"A religion with no clergy? Why?"

"No one knows."

Isaiah watched the woman leave without saying another word. "No priests. I must find this Second God." He kneeled where the woman had been moments earlier and whispered another quick prayer. When he was sure there was nothing more to do there, he walked back out to the street. The moment the sunlight hit his face, he watched the people walking up and down the street. "How do I find him?"

He visually searched from where he stood until he noticed a woman who stopped to admire a vine. She began picking off several dead white flowers. She wore a leather vest and a daring skirt down to her ankles that was basically two large strips of cloth attached to a leather belt. Following instinct, Isaiah crossed the street to stand behind her. He made no sound.

"What do you want?" the woman asked without turning around.

"How did you know I was here?"

The woman plucked the final withered flower before turning around. "How could I not? What do you want?"

"I'm looking for someone very important."

"That narrows it down. There aren't many of those anymore. What's his name?"

"He is the one a woman in the temple called the Second God."

The woman showed no surprise. "Then you've come to the right place. Follow me."

The woman began walking down the street without waiting for him. He kept in step behind her. "How do you know I won't try to kill him?"

"You can't kill him. Many have tried, and all have failed. None have come close. Now shut up and follow me."

"If I do, will you at least tell me your name?"

The woman spoke without stopping. "It's Lilith. Now come on if you're coming. We have a ways to go."

(X)

The creature peeked over the rock and downhill. It watched as Isaiah and Lilith traversed the open field towards the woods. When they had completely passed, it crept over the rock and crawled after them.

"How much longer?" Isaiah asked.

"Just a few more hours," Lilith answered. "Come on."

"We've been walking for several hours already. It's almost sunset. I can't believe you walked to the city like this."

"I didn't. I flew."

"Flew? There were no landing strips for aircraft."

Lilith stopped for the first time during the trip to look at him. "I didn't fly by plane. I flew myself, under my own power."

Isaiah unconsciously took a step away. "You did what?"

It made Lilith uneasy. "Just come on. We're being followed."

Isaiah tilted his head towards her. "I know. Go on."

"I have no weapons. Neither gun nor sword."

"I need none. I will protect you."

"I don't need your protection." Lilith turned and ran headlong into the woods.

"Crazy woman!" Isaiah yelled as he chased after her. She was well ahead of him. "Curse this human body!" he yelled without thinking. The chase instantly ended when something landed in front of him from above. He skidded to a stop and fell to his knees.

It was a bald creature with pasty oozing white skin. It leaned over him and grabbed him by his neck. A pair of bony wings began flapping, but it never got the chance to take off. It was distracted by a whistle. Without letting go, it turned to see what was at its back.

"Let him go!" Lilith demanded. Isaiah stared in shock as her hands were engulfed in bright red flames. Her eyes were glowing white.

"What are you?" Isaiah asked hoarsely.

The creature threw him aside and launched itself at Lilith. She leapt aside and threw a stream of fire at it. Isaiah watched with an open mouth and wide eyes as Lilith flipped into the air and transformed in a flash of black light. Six wings lifted her further into the air. She and the creature fought above him.

"That explains it," Isaiah said. He closed his eyes and stood. With all his strength, he mentally reached into his center and released a painful energy. He screamed as everything was covered with a hot light. When it was all gone, Isaiah fell over as he struggled to catch his breath. The creature was gone. Lilith fell screaming from the air and hit the ground facedown. When she mustered the strength to roll over, she found Isaiah sitting astride her chest with a knife to her throat.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"You're one of them," he said. "You're a demon. Were you leading me into a trap?"

"If I were leading you into a trap, would I have fought that monster off?"

"I don't know. Who, or what, are you?"

"I already told you. I'm Lilith."

Isaiah pushed the knife further against her skin. She swung for his face, but he grabbed her arm and held it against her chest. She was surprised by his strength.

"I should ask you what you are instead of the other way around," Lilith threatened.

"That is none of your concern. I am looking for the one called the Second God. Do you know where he is?"

Lilith felt the knife break her skin. "Of course I know. I already told you that. He's my father. If you harm me, he will kill you in the most painful way he can think of."

Isaiah placed the blade against Lilith's face to scrape the skin under her eye. Blood dripped from the blade. "What is this? Blood in your eyes?"

"It is the blood of my grandfather Sparda."

Isaiah showed recognition of the name. "Sparda was your grandfather? Which of his boys is your father?"

"What difference does it make?"

Isaiah pressed harder against her. "At least it explains how you survived that attack I used. No demon has ever survived it before."

"Get off of me." Isaiah complied and stepped away. "You want to see the Second God?" she asked. "You will, but if you put your hands on me again, I'll kill you myself."

"I'm sorry. If I had known you were the daughter of one of the rebels of Hell, I would not have."

Lilith slid away and stood. "Come on then. We still have a long way to go."


	4. Prophet of Doom

Prophet of Doom

It was already evening twilight when Lilith and Isaiah reached the Mithras Tower. Most of the people inside were already heading home. Very few were brave enough to stay after dark, even after the defeat of the opposing state. Lilith touched Isaiah's arm to get his attention.

"He should be upstairs. Just follow me and keep your mouth shut." She turned to lead him inside. Heading for the elevators, she noticed that only one person was left in the lobby. She glanced his way, then stopped for a better look and nearly fell over. The man sitting alone in the lobby seemed familiar. When he looked back at her, she realized that it was Koromos, alive and well. He puckered his lips to kiss at her. Before she could either respond or faint, Isaiah grabbed her arm and shook it.

"Is something wrong?"

Lilith considered telling him the truth for a moment. "No," she finally said. "Let's go."

She ran for the nearest elevator without looking back. Isaiah exchanged glances with Koromos, but neither felt disturbed by it.

(X)

When Lilith stepped onto the top floor, she whistled to announce her presence. Isaiah followed her to the doors at the end of the hall. She forced them open with one hand and a foot. Dante was still sitting at the computer with both feet propped on the edge of the desk. While Lilith was gone, he'd put on a black coat with two dragons, one red and one blue, on the chest. He was on his cell phone speaking in Cantonese.

"What is he saying?" Isaiah asked.

"I'm not allowed to say. It's one of his emissaries in Lil-Chin."

"You don't have a priesthood, but you have emissaries?"

"They are his eyes and ears. Nothing more."

Lilith stepped behind the chair to get a good look at the screen saver. It was a cartoon version of Evel Knievel having mishap after mishap on a motorcycle. She bit down the urge to laugh until Dante finished the call. He closed the phone slowly as he spoke.

"How has your normal day been?" he asked.

"Honestly? Boring, yet enlightening." Lilith offered him the evening glory in her left hand. "I brought you something. It was the first to bloom at sunset." Dante took it gingerly from her. "You have a guest," she said while motioning to Isaiah.

Dante was in no hurry to greet him. He lowered his feet to the floor but didn't turn to face Isaiah. "Is this how you treat those who come for your help, son of Eva?" Isaiah asked

Dante's eyes widened with recognition. He turned in the chair with the evening glory still in his hand. "Isaiah," he said. "I didn't think you were still alive."

"I shouldn't be, but I have special emissary duties of my own."

Lilith grabbed a chair and watched the scene unfold. Isaiah and Dante suddenly noticed her when she dropped herself into another chair. "I see you've met my daughter. I'm sorry if she's made things difficult."

She glared at him. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here."

"I'm not."

Isaiah snickered. "She is a lot like Eva, isn't she?"

"That goes for you, too!" Lilith threatened.

Isaiah placed a hand across his chest and bowed. "Forgive me."

"Grab a chair," Dante said, "and tell me what brings you to my forsaken realm."

Isaiah took a third chair. "I wish it were good news."

"What is it? Has someone in Hell been misbehaving again?"

"That would be simpler, but no. This time it's the other place."

Dante tapped one finger against his armrest. "You don't mean Heaven? That would be absurd."

"Not quite. It's actually one rogue angel that's doing something very bad."

"For whom?"

"All of us. Demons, angels, and everyone in between. Last I saw it, it was in the form of a female."

"What's its name, and what's it doing?"

"Its name is Ariel. She has found half of the Idda Corrof and intends to unite it with the other half."

Lilith heard her father sigh as he bowed his head. "What is the Idda Corrof?" she asked.

"An item with a dangerous power," Dante answered. "It was deliberately hidden to protect it from both angels and demons. In either hand it could do extreme damage."

"It was created at the beginning of the Universe," Isaiah explained. "The Higher Forces recognized the need to maintain a system of checks and balances, especially when intelligent beings discovered the concepts of good and evil. The Idda Corrof was created and then deliberately split in half, with one side representing Heaven and the other Hell. If these two pieces were reunited, then every demon, angel, and their masters will become effectively human."

Lilith shrugged. "That could be good."

"But it's not," Dante added. "If that happens, then the Universe will begin to disintegrate. Good and evil will be equally wiped out, thereby negating all existance."

"Bummer. Why is she doing this?"

"Out of ignorance," Isaiah said. "The Idda Corrof is supposed to be mere legend, even for us. When Ariel discovered it was real, she thought that she could use it to wipe demons off the Earth. She doesn't know that she and all like her will be affected as well. Very few on either side actually know it really exists and what it does."

"Is she honestly so eager to be rid of all of us?" Lilith asked. "Does she not know that there are demons opposing Hell and angels opposing Heaven?"

"She knows; she just doesn't give a damn. She cares nothing for either of you nor your empire. Everyone knows that if anything were to happen to you, then the empire would fall into chaos, taking the rest of the world with it. It will be the Stone Age all over again. No pressure, though."

"None felt."

"Where did you last see her," Dante asked, "and where is the other piece?"

"I last saw her in the Southern Continent Amerika. The second half is in Jih Pan."

"Jih Pan?" Lilith asked. "Where is that?"

"Off the far eastern coast of Chin," Dante answered. "I'm sending you there to check it out."

"By myself?"

"No. I'll send someone with you. The codeword is Cassandra. You'll leave as soon as possible."

"In other words?"

"Now."

"Of course." Lilith rolled her eyes as she stood. "I'll have to stop by the manor to pick up a few things. Tell whomever the intended sidekick is to meet me there."

Isaiah spoke as Lilith headed for the door. "Whether or not you find Ariel, do not return without the other half of the Idda Corrof."

"I don't intend to, but intent is not enough." With that, she closed the doors and headed down the hallway.

"She's very gloomy," Isaiah said.

"She gets it from her mother." Dante activated his cell phone and made a serious long distance call. A woman with a soft voice picked up on the end. "Lucia," Dante said, "I need you to do me a favor."

(X)

Lucia pushed the door open with her foot and leaned out the side of the airplane. A Jih Panese forest whizzed below as the plane flew low. "Come on Lilith!" Lucia called. "The sooner we get down there, the sooner we can leave!"

"Famous last words, among others." Lilith zipped up her leather coat before joining Lucia at the door. "Let's go. You first."

Without hesitation, Lucia threw herself from the airplane. One second later, Lilith followed. They fell through the trees and landed side by side on their feet. "Where from here?" Lilith asked.

"Your father said towards the sunset, towards that large mountain."

"Should we fly?"

"If Ariel is already here, she will see us. We can run really, really fast."

Lilith gave Lucia a sarcastic expression as Lucia disappeared in white feathers and ran through the forest. Lilith gave her a few seconds head start before transforming and running after her. The fake chase continued until dusk when Lucia and Lilith finally reached the base of the mountain. The two stopped and looked up. They saw a third winged figure flying towards a cave on the mountainside.

"Ariel," Lilith thought aloud. "There's no point in worrying about being seen now." Lilith boosted herself upwards with a powerful leap with Lucia right behind her. The two made it to the cave in just a few minutes. Before going in, they waited for Ariel to make a sound. What they got was a scream of rage.

(X)

Ariel returned to her human form when she reached the cave. As soon as she found her footing, she created a light in her palm and stepped into the cave. Sparkling crystals twinkled in the light when she passed them. She stopped to touch one. It released a soft tone.

"Are you hiding what I've come for?" she asked. The crystal sang again before she continued into the cave. She walked for nearly a mile before she saw the largest crystal at the end. Rather than reach out for it, she killed the light in her palm. The crystal gave off its own light.

"I was wondering when you'd get here," the voice of someone else said as the person it belonged to took the crystal. "I hope you don't intend to leave with this."

Ariel placed both hands behind her back. "I do. Don't be so foolish as to think you can keep it from me. You are one of many, and you'll go down like all of them."

The man raised the crystal so it could illuminate his face. "Do you know whom I am?"

Ariel instantly recognized him and screamed with rage. "Koromos!"


	5. Only Human

Only Human

Lucia and Lilith pressed themselves against the cave wall as they strained to hear Ariel inside. They inched further inside until they heard Ariel screaming. Lilith pulled Taimat and Marduk from their holsters and sped towards Ariel with Lucia in tow. Seconds later they were greeted with an unpleasant sight. Ariel was standing with her half of the Idda Corrof. Koromos was holding the other half. As if in slow motion, Lilith and Lucia raised their weapons to interfere, but the two halves were joined before any bullets or darts could get in the way. The Idda Corrof emitted a blinding light as it sealed itself into one whole piece. Then the light dimmed.

Everyone was silent as they waited anxiously for something to happen. Lilith raised a gun again and pulled the trigger. The bullet slid past the Idda Corrof as the artifact slammed itself into Ariel's chest. Lucia threw a dart which grazed Ariel's neck. Ariel rubbed the wound and was shocked to feel warm blood flow between her fingers.

At the same time, Lilith aimed for Koromos. Two bullets went into his chest. Koromos returned with a single shot that went through Lilith's chest. She stopped in the middle of the melee when she realized it felt different than it should have. She dropped her guns as she fell over and blacked out.

(X)

Dante slid his cell phone's ear piece into his ear and adjusted the microphone as the person on the other end yacked away. Dante ignored half of what was said long enough to fidget with his house keys. Out of frustration, he handed them to Isaiah, who shrugged and did the honor of opening the door.

Isaiah fought the urge to laugh as he stepped into the house and tossed the keys over his shoulder. Dante caught them with one hand. He kicked the door closed and yanked the ear piece free. He closed the cell phone in the hopes the person wouldn't call back.

"Bad news?" Isaiah teased.

Dante rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I hate being emperor."

"You have no idea how often emperors have said that."

"Too many," Dante guessed. He gave a quick habitual glance towards the divan.

Isaiah noticed. "Are you worried?"

"Just a little, but more out of habit than real concern. You thirsty?"

"For the first time in a century, yes I am." Isaiah tinkered with the CD player in the living room. "You're very unusual," he said aloud.

"Why is that?" Dante called from the kitchen.

"I hoped you didn't hear that." Isaiah waited for Dante to return before answering. "What is it with your temples?"

"What?" Dante laughed as he placed both glasses onto the coffee table. "Why would you ask such an absurd question?"

"Your temples," Isaiah repeated. "You have no clergy."

"Oh, that was on purpose."

"Why? What god would not want someone to spread his ideas?"

"The kind that realizes that humans should stay out of such politics. They are much happier when they can think for themselves."

"Ooh."

(X)

Lucia stepped over Lilith's body. Koromos grabbed Ariel and used her as a shield.

"You are a coward," Lucia accused him as she brandished a Cutlaseer. "You hide behind another rather than face me."

Koromos pointed his gun at Lilith. "I would be more concerned about your princess than my courage. She's probably dying."

"Then so will you!" Lucia reached for another dart as she threw herself towards him. Koromos tossed Ariel aside and raised his gun for Lucia. Before he could pull the trigger, another shot rang unexpectedly through the cave. Ariel was already headed for the cave entrance. She screamed as a bullet from Lilith's gun pierced her shoulder, and she fell from the entrance. Lucia drove a Cutlaseer through Koromos's abdomen. He pushed her back against the cave wall and pulled the Cutlaseer free. Lucia charged again with the other Cutlaseer. Koromos parried every attack until he knocked the Cutlaseer from her hand.

Lucia jumped back and tried to transform. To her horror, the transformation light flickered and quickly died. Nothing else happened. Koromos threw the Cutlaseer at Lucia's head. She barely managed to dodge as Koromos ran for the cave entrance. Lucia moved as if to chase him, then she remembered Lilith still lying on the cave floor.

Lucia dropped to Lilith's side and shook Lilith's arm, which caused the princess to moan in pain. "That wasn't supposed to happen," Lilith groaned. "What the hell happened?" She inhaled and spat a bloody lump onto the ground.

"Ariel and Koromos combined the Idda Corrof. We have to get back to your father." Lucia hoisted Lilith to her feet. "We have to hurry. You're dying."

(X)

Koromos slid down the mountainside for several minutes before he caught up with Ariel's body. She lay prone on the mountain covered with scratches and bruises from her fall and tumblings. He skidded to a stop by her side and propped her up. She pushed him away when she realized whom he was.

"Leave me alone. I don't need you now."

"On the contrary," Koromos said. "You need me more than anything now."

Ariel rubbed her neck wound as she tried to stand. "Why is that?"

"You did something very bad. You are about to have one the world's most powerful men out for your life."

"Why is that?"

"You may possibly be responsible for the death of his daughter. You'll need someone to keep him off your back."

Ariel grimaced. She took one step down the mountain and slid a short distance. Koromos lowered himself after her and grabbed her arm. "Let me go!" she demanded.

"Make me." Ariel offered very little resistance as Koromos pulled her back to her feet and began to drag her the rest of the way down the mountain.

"It entered my chest," Ariel said. "The Idda Corrof is inside my body."

"And everyone on the planet from both Heaven and Hell will be trying to slice you open to get to it."

Ariel rubbed a sore spot on her chest. "What have I done? This isn't what I wanted."

"Famous last words."

(X)

Lilith shivered as a doctor placed an oxygen mask over her face. "I don't want it!" She pushed the doctor's hand away. Normally, she would have had the strength to throw him across the floor, but this time she was feeling uncomfortably human. The doctor didn't go anywhere. She helplessly waited for him and the others to complete their tasks. When they were done, she saw her father order them out with a simple wave of his hand.

Lilith watched as he reached into his mouth and removed his labret. When it slid free, the hole it left closed instantly without a mark. Dante held her hand up and placed the labret into her palm. "Hold on to that for me."

Dante saw her lips move, but he couldn't hear what she was saying. He leaned in closely. "What was that?" he asked softly.

"Be careful what you wish for," Lilith said. "Mine has come true."

Dante leaned back. "I'll fix it. I promise."

"How?"

"I will. I always do." Dante moved to walk away, but he was distracted by something large that flew past the window. An impossible thought passed through his mind before he continued on. He closed the door silently.

Isaiah was cracking his knuckles as he waited on the other side of the hall. He met Dante halfway while still cracking his knuckles. "She lives?"

"Barely." Dante grabbed Isaiah's hands to stop the cracking. Isaiah smirked as he pulled his hands free and clasped them behind his back. "If you do that again, I'll break your neck."

Isaiah continued smiling. "What makes you think you can trust these people to keep their mouths shut? If word gets out about what's just happened, your reign will be in jeopardy."

"They won't talk. I have a special trust with the people of Dumaray Island."

"And if they talk anyway?"

"Then I'll have to treat them like I would anyone else under the circumstances."

"In other words?"

"I'll hunt down the bastards and rip their hearts out."

"Yummy."

(X)

Lilith heard something scraping against glass. Her own heartbeat grew louder in her ears as she was overcome with a disorienting sensation. She closed her eyes and waited for something to happen. She faded away into sleep for a moment, then awoke when someone's hand brushed against her cheek. A man was standing next to her hospital bed.

"Am I dreaming?" she asked.

"Does it matter right now?" the man asked. He opened her palm and took the labret. "It feels strange, doesn't it? You never had to worry about dying before."

Lilith focused on the man for a moment before her mind reached total clarity. "Grandpa?"

"That is what you call me, isn't it?" The man placed the labret aside and took Lilith's hand. "I told you that you were going to die. Did you doubt me?"

"I still do."

"Good. I have no idea why we do this. Do you? Don't answer that. I already know what you'll say." He grabbed a chair and placed it by her bed. "I have something to teach you and your father. It's the only thing that can help you get your powers back." He reached over and wiped a drop of blood from the side of her eye.

"What do you want?" Lilith asked.

"I want you to stop whining about your life. You are a princess and a goddess. It's very unbecoming."

Lilith groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Don't bother complaining," Sparda said. "Let me show you something."


	6. Fall of the Heavens

Fall of the Heavens

Koromos dragged Ariel into the dark room and rudely dropped her to the floor. She groaned in pain and rolled away from him. Within a few strides, he reached her and stomped his foot against her back. She fought back the urge to scream.

"What have you done?" she said between gasps.

"Me?" he asked innocently. "You're the one who's heralding the destruction of the natural order of the Universe. You should feel proud of yourself."

Ariel moved as if to sit up. Koromos removed his foot so she could do so. Her withered twisted limbs gave out under her own weight. "What are you talking about," she whined. "What will you do with me?"

"Someone wants you dead. He'll have to give me what I want before I let him have his way with you."

(X)

When Dante and Isaiah stepped out of the hospital, something in the sky caught their attention. The sun was lowering in the sky at an accelerated speed.

"What time is it?" Dante asked.

"3:00," Isaiah answered. "In the afternoon."

Before their eyes, the sun dipped, stopped, rose, then dipped again. The second dip sent it completely beneath the horizon. Unfamiliar stars shone in the new night sky. The sudden silence of the city was broken by screams as some of the stars grew large. It was almost upon Dumaray Island before anyone realized it was a meteorite. It crashed into several buildings beyond the hospital. A sonic boom and a roar drowned out the screams. A hot white blast of fire and energy covered the city. More meteorites assaulted the island for a full minute. Then there was total silence again. All that was left behind was debris, fire, death, and confusion.

"Well," Isaiah said, "that was fun."

(X)

Lilith heard the blasts from the collisions outside. She tried to sit up, but Sparda placed his hand over her eyes. "Don't bother," he said. "You will only get yourself killed. At least, let me help you find the strength to fight."

Lilith arched her back as if she were in pain, then fell limp against the bed. In her mind, she saw a starburst. It faded away and morphed into a serene nighttime beach scene. Lilith felt her feet sink into wet sand as the waves tickled her feet.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I told you," Sparda's voice said, "you're going to die."

Lilith looked into the sky and saw a flaming beam flying towards her. At first, she considered running, but instead she raised her arms and waited. The beam rammed into her chest and pierced her heart. It continued on until it was grounded into the sand. Lilith spat up blood and fell to her knees. Sparda grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her back to lean against him.

"Die," he said into her ear. "Die so you can live again."

A tear of blood flowed from her eye. She closed her eyes and died in his arms. Sparda removed the glove from his free hand with his teeth. He bit into his thumb until he tasted his own blood. He opened Lilith's mouth and dripped his blood onto her tongue.

"Wake up," he said. "You can live now."

(X)

The nurse carefully closed the door as he stepped into Liilth's room. She was alone and appeared to be sound asleep. He absentmindedly removed her empty intravenous bag to replace it with a new one. His hand trembled as black dots swirled across his field of vision. He took a few deep breaths before placing the new bag onto the stand and connected the tubing.

Lilith stirred as if she were dreaming. The nurse stared down at her as if he were thinking about something serious. He had felt fatigued since the cosmic assault minutes before. As if something invisible were manipulating him, he pressed two fingers against her throat to feel for a pulse. It was weak but consistent. He slowly walked to a chair in the corner and sat with his head in his hands. He could here various footsteps in the hallway, along with shuffling, dragging feet, moans of pain, and claws clattering against the tiles.

(X)

Lucia stood on the roof of her grandmother's house as she stared in the direction of the meteorite assault. The closest one had been at least a mile away, but she could feel the heat as the flames leapt into the sky. The fires blocked out much of the stars.

"Lucia!" someone called from below. She recognized the voice and jumped to the ground. When she landed, she remained on one knee for an extra second before standing. "We need some time to rest without being seen."

"The princess?" Lucia began.

"She's fine," Dante said with a wave of his hand. "The hospital was spared."

Lucia nodded once as she opened the door. "Matier!" she called.

"I know!" Matier called from inside. "Let them in!" Dante and Isaiah followed Lucia into the house. Matier motioned for them to follow her into an adjacent room. There were already four cups of a hot drink on the table.

"Did you already know we were coming?" Isaiah asked as they each took a seat.

"How could I not?" Matier leaned her cane against the table. "The Rebel Son of Sparda has been called to defend his empire."

"By whom?" Isaiah asked.

Matier simply smiled at him. A stiffled chuckle managed to escape from Dante. He feigned a cough when Isaiah looked his way. "He knows his duties," Matier finally said.

"Unfortunately," Lucia said, "his daughter does not."

"She will," Dante assured her. "She's learning right now. The Universe has begun to fall apart around us, starting with the behavior of the sun and stars. Within moments, even right now, worse will happen. The question is, where is Ariel?"

"Koromos has her," Lucia said. "Lilith and I saw him leave with her. There is no doubt that he will lead us to her."

"But why? Why did he help her?"

Lucia merely shrugged. "Maybe he wants to offer her to us. I don't believe he wants the Idda Corrof to complete its task."

"Are you willing to bet your life on that?" Isaiah asked. "You can lose it as easily as anyone now." He took his first sip of the drink, paused, then spat it back into the cup. "What the hell is this!"

"It's an aquired taste," Dante explained.

The mood was broken by a sudden tremor that rolled through the ground. It wasn't powerful enough to raze the house, but they could literally feel the ground heave beneath the floor as if it were breathing. Something in another room crashed before the sensation passed. A deep rumbling receded in the distance as everything finally calmed down.

"We should leave now," Isaiah said barely above a whisper.

"Where would we go?" Dante asked. "Even if we know that Koromos has Ariel, we don't know where he's keeping her."

"Where would he hide?" Matier asked. "Where does he call home, where he is safest and feels the most secure?"

"Mallet Island," Lucia said off the top of her head. "But that is too obvious."

"That is why he is there," Matier said. "He wants to be found. He has something you want, but you have something he wants as well."

Dante pushed his cup away. "I don't understand. How can you be so sure of such a thing?"

"What else can you do? Where else can you go? What time do you have to find out?"

"None," Isaiah said.

"Exactly."


	7. Birth of an Empire

Birth of an Empire

Koromos stared at the sky with a tinge of skepticism. Many of the stars had moved. Some were blinking. Others had gone out completely, while some had grown brighter. In the center of the Milky Way, a large black hole had appeared. He did not know if it had swallowed the stars or was only blocking their light.

"He'd better hurry. His time is running out." He stood and began walking back towards the castle. He could here the demons within screeching and screaming as if they were throwing a party. He had gone outside because he couldn't stand the noise. The portal to the Underworld had disappeared, and the castle was literally merging with the Underworld. Soon the merge would take the whole Earth and the realms beyond with it. However, the thought of Hell on Earth neither excited nor depressed him in any way. A reptilian Blade trotted to his side. Its scales were beginning to slough as the first signs of an unpredictable metamorphosis. It followed him into the castle to the room where Ariel was waiting.

Ariel was in the room above where Koromos had fought Lilith a few weeks before. She was lying alone on the bed. Her arms were tied to the bedposts. She hissed and turned from the light when Koromos opened the door. He closed it quietly and lit a candle. Even the candlelight was enough to send her into a bucking spitting rage. She struggled but could not break her restraints.

Koromos sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over her. Dried blood clung to her nose and lips. Her eyes had turned grey with cataracts. She was in constant pain as her own body began to go through an abnormal morph. Koromos touched her temple. She shrieked and turned away from him.

"I'm sorry," Koromos said in a patronizing tone. "I don't want to hurt you. I want to make this as easy on you as possible."

"What do you want?" Ariel pleaded in a raspy voice. "I didn't want this."

"I know," Koromos said. "You've said that several times already. Quite frankly, I'm sick of hearing it. Dante wants you dead, but he can't have you until he gives me what I want."

Ariel sighed in disgust. "I'm not a bargaining chip."

"You are today. I don't give a damn about you nor your cause. Your own stupidity, and unwillingness to accept the wisdom of the Universe, will lead to the destruction of everything unless you die. Bargaining chip is more than your worth."

Ariel cried out as pain passed through her body. Koromos rubbed her belly as if to comfort her before leaving her alone in the room. The Blade stayed with her on the bed as she writhed in pain. "Help me," she called in a weak voice. "Somebody help me."

(X)

Isaiah stared at his cup as a soft voice flowed through his mind. He could hear someone softly calling for help. "It's her," he said out loud.

"What?" Lucia asked.

Isaiah didn't look up. "Ariel. She's calling out for help. I can hear her as if she were whispering in my ear."

"How do you know?"

"She and I are the same. She wants to be heard. She called me."

"Where is she?" Dante half demanded.

"It appears you were right old woman," he said to Matier. "She's calling from Mallet Island."

"What if it's a trap?" Lucia asked.

"Either way," Dante said, "we have to meet her. Whether she needs our help or means to ambush us, we have to take the Idda Corrof from her."

"And if we can't?"

"Then we kill her, even if she does need our help."

(X)

"Where are we?" Lilith asked.

"Shhh," Sparda answered. "Just watch. You need to see this."

An image played before Lilith's eyes as if she were watching a movie. She recognized the terrain as the wastelands of the Underworld. A mighty battle raged all around her. It seemed that an army of demons was fighting a combined legion of demons and angels. It was often difficult to tell which was which. Blood spilled and body parts flew on both sides.

Lilith's mind wandered across the battlefield until a specific warrior caught her eye. A young man dressed in black leather fought off several demons at once with a sword that seemed too big for him. He couldn't be older than sixteen. His platinum white hair was splattered with the blood of demons. A single swing cleaved two demons in half. A third waited to make a move. He didn't wait for it to attack before slicing it open.

The adolescent warrior raised a leather-strapped hand. "Vergil!" he called. "We have to hurry!"

A few meters away, an identical warrior pulled his sword from a demon's throat. The twin warriors ran through the bloody melee towards the edge of the battlefield. They sliced through flesh and bone during the escape. Angels and other demons covered them as they ran beyond the battle. Lilith watched as they ran up a barren smoldering hill far from the confusion and blood.

"This is it, Dante," Vergil said. "We have to leave now."

"I know," Dante said. "I just want one last look, in the hopes I never have to see it again." The brothers watched the battle continue without them.

Vergil placed a hand against Dante's shoulder. "Come on. We have to get to Earth. Our father is waiting for us."

Lilith's mind followed them as they left through the portal on Mallet Island. They didn't stop running until they were outdoors. They stopped and looked around at the Earth for the first time.

"Listen," Dante said. "It's so quiet. There are no voices up here."

Vergil fell to his knees as if he were tired. "Even the air is different. It's more energizing."

The brothers remained where they were to enjoy their new world. After a few minutes, they were distracted by a whistle. They looked farther down the walkway where a man was waiting. "It's him," Dante whispered. Vergil stood and followed Dante towards the man. They stared at each other for a few seconds before anyone spoke.

"Come on, my sons," Sparda said. "Hell is no longer your problem. You have to reach the mainland."

"Wait a minute," Vergil said. "You're not coming with us?"

"I will, for a while, but someone must finish below what you have begun. It will still be in vain if you do not free the Earth from Mundus's rule."

"In other words," Dante said, "we have to take it from him."

"If you have to, then yes."

"You mean free the lands from their ruler, just to give them another one."

"Come on," Sparda repeated. "I can go only so far with you. We have no time to waste."

(X)

Lucia bounced a Cranky Bomb between her hands as she and Isaiah sneaked up the stairs. They were exploring a new section of the castle that had merged into a cliffside. The floor was tilted twenty degrees. They watched each step to avoid accidentally splattering themselves against the spikes jutting from the crooked walls.

"If we had our powers, we'd just fly through here," Lucia mumbled.

Isaiah chuckled. "Where's the fun in that?"

The slanting stairwell led to a door that nearly blended into the wall. Isaiah pushed against it with his foot. The door rippled and dissolved into the air. There was a familiar high pitched whine on the other side. Without looking, Lucia jumped past him and tossed the Cranky Bomb into the air. It bounced off the mask of what used to be a Sin Scythe.


	8. Return of the God

Return of the God

Ariel gnawed on the restraint on her right arm. Her left arm was free after hours of chewing and pulling. Her lips were raw from the constant rubbing against the leather straps. She stopped struggling just as Koromos reentered the room and kneeled at the foot of the bed. She was no longer capable of speech, but he answered her implied question anyway.

"I'm taking you on a little trip," Koromos said as he began to undo her bindings. "Dante is in the castle, and I have every intention of using you like I promised." Ariel kicked at him when both legs were free, but he easily dodged them. Ariel gasped in fear when Koromos sat astride her chest and wrapped both hands around her neck. He was careful to avoid applying excessive pressure against her newly round belly. "Behave, or I will kill you myself, regardless of the consequences."

Ariel calmed herself enough to let Koromos pull her free. He hoisted her over his shoulders and carried her out. She watched the malformed creatures in the hallway give Koromos a wide berth as he descended the staircase. A mutant baby phantom scuttled along the wall behind them. When it was nearly on top of them, a giant wasp impaled it on the stinger and flew away with it.

(X)

Dante leaned against the railing to catch his breath. Having to do so for the first time in his life was a grave reminder of his situation. He ached a little from a quick battle with Sin Scissors he was fortunate to survive. He had no idea where he was. The castle, in fact the entire island, was changing its own architecture as it merged further into Hell. He looked over his shoulder into the hall below. The floor seemed to breathe with unnatural life. Rather than jumping over the railing, he slowly made his way to the floor below. He looked up at a statue sitting at the top of the staircase. It was the God of Time kneeling with a large glowing hour glass on his shoulders.

Dante stared at the statue as if in a daze until he heard whistling from above. He quickly turned towards it and whipped out a gun. Koromos stood on the second floor walkway with a gun in one hand and the other hand balancing Ariel on his shoulder. Koromos and Dante kept their guns pointed at each other as Koromos walked down to stand in front of Dante. He left Ariel to lie on the staircase. Dante pressed Ivory against Koromos's forehead, while Koromos placed his gun against Dante's heart.

"I was wondering when you'd get here," Koromos said. "The Universe is falling apart, and you take your time."

Dante glanced at Ariel on the stairs. He sucked in air when he noticed her obvious condition. "She's pregnant. We've been chasing her for a couple of days. Isaiah never told us she was pregnant." Ariel grabbed her belly and cried in pain.

"That's because she wasn't. She didn't conceive until a few hours ago, but she's almost ready to deliver."

Dante rolled his eyes back towards Koromos. "You did that."

Koromos knew it was an accusation rather than a question. "Why not? I was bored. The whole time I was pretending she was Lilith, anyway."

"Why are you helping her? What do you get out of it?"

"I'll give her to you willingly, on one condition. I want something in return, or rather someone."

Dante already knew whom that someone was. "Not a chance. My daughter isn't for sale. Especially after what you did with Ariel."

Koromos shrugged. "I suppose you won't be getting Ariel, then."

"Then I'll have to take her by force."

"I'd like to see you try."

Ariel startled and sat up as two shots rang simultaneously through the hollow room.

(X)

The Death Scythe's cow skull mask rattled from side to side as Lucia bombarded it with darts and Cranky Bombs. Isaiah covered her by shooting down mutant Sin Scythes. The final one had a black fluid oozing from the tip of its scythe. As it threw the scythe, a final barrage of bullets shattered its mask. It melted into the floor with a wicked echoing cackle.

Both of the Death Scythe's horns shattered. The Death Scythe spiraled into the floor and disappeared. Lucia grabbed a Cutlaseer as she waited for the Death Scythe to reappear. She saw the cow skull partially emerge from the floor on the other side of the room. She threw a Cranky Bomb each time it showed itself, but most of them missed. In her peripheral vision, and by her intuition, she saw the cow skull emerge beneath her. She quickly stepped aside and swung with a Cutlaseer. It cleaved the skull in half as half of the Death Scythe jumped from the floor. Then it tossed its scythe aside and melted into the floor with its cackle echoing through the room. The scythe remained where it was without self destructing.

Lucia stared at it for a second before remembering Isaiah. She ran to his side to make sure he was all right. She stopped in her tracks when she saw him wrapping a torn strip from his shirt around his left wrist. His left hand lay severed on the floor beside him.

"Are you willing to continue?" she asked.

"Yes, but I'm not sure if I should." He finished tying the wound off with his teeth. "You have to continue the search for Ariel and Koromos alone."

"What if I refuse?"

"I'm not giving you a choice. You have to help Dante find them, and you can't force me to go with you. You don't have that many places left to search."

Lucia shook her head before turning to leave. She stopped just long enough to look at the scythe before continuing her search through the castle.

(X)

Ariel eased her way to the edge of the stairs while keeping her eyes on Dante and Koromos. Koromos had taken a bullet in the forehead, and Dante had taken one in the heart. Koromos held his palm against the entry wound. He could literally feel the blood leaking through his brain. Red fluid squirted between his fingers.

Dante rolled over and rose to his knees. He took a few deep breaths to fight the increasing pain in his chest. Blood leaked through a large hole with each heartbeat. Clutching the wound, Dante stood and stumbled towards the stairs. Ariel crawled on her hands and knees towards the statue at the top of the staircase in a panicked rush. She noticed for a quick moment that the hour glass was glowing a bright living yellow. The light moved around as if it were fluid. She broke her gaze and continued crawling past the statue.

Dante climbed the stairs after her. When he reached the top, he grabbed Ivory as if to shoot her. A heartbeat sent a fresh gush of blood out of his chest. He lost his center of balance and leaned against the statue. Ariel continued crawling along the walkway until she finally dropped from exhaustion. Dante looked up towards the statue. His vision was beginning to blur. He leaned his head against the statue's knee.

"Who can fight the fate of the Universe?" He heard Koromos laughing on the floor below. "Damn you, Ariel," he said before closing his eyes. Each breath became more painful than the one before. He then heard a faint voice speak in his mind. "What?"

_Those who desire to aquire the ancient ways of war must offer the blood of monsters in exchange._

Dante's eyes shot open. "What?" he repeated. Then he felt something he feared he'd never experience again. Blood welled up in his eyes. Several drops landed onto the statue's knee as Dante raised his head. At first he thought he imagined the statue opening its eyes. He realized they were real organic eyes when the statue blinked. The statue blinked again and looked down at Dante. Before Dante could react, two bolts of lightning shot from the statue's eyes and flew into Dante's.

(X)

Lucia charged through the first door she saw. She nearly ran headlong over the side of a railing while trying to stop herself. She teetered there while watching the events below. Dante was lying in the middle of the floor. A large man, or what at least appeared to be one, was striding down the stairs towards him. Its body, except for its eyes, were made of metal. In a confused panic, Lucia prepared to jump to the first floor before remembering the fall would probably kill her. She instead turned to run around towards the stairs.

Halfway there, she stopped to stare at Ariel. The former angel no longer had the physical ability to crawl. Her arms and legs had quickly atrophied into withered limbs. "It's you, isn't it?" Lucia asked. She took one look at Ariel's pregnant belly and grimaced. It was pulsating as if whatever was inside were trying to push its way through the skin. Without a second thought, Lucia lifted both Cutlaseers and plunged them into Ariel's chest.

The second she did so, an appendage burst forth from Ariel's abdomen. Lucia jumped out of the way as it reached for her ankle. She watched in disgust as the top half of the creature's head began to appear. A slimy humanoid creature slid from the opening in Ariel's body onto the floor. It was impossibly grown for being confined in such a small space. Its obviously male body was bluish grey and appeared unnaturally squishy. The Idda Corrof glowed through its translucent chest.

The creature stood and coughed as if to patronize Lucia. The Idda Corrof shifted slightly with each vibration. "How long were you waiting?" it asked.

Lucia brandished a Cutlaseer. "I'll have to rip you open instead of your mother."

The creature carefully placed a hand against the railing. "Then do it." It tapped its chest for emphasis. Lucia lunged forward to plunge a Cutlaseer through its chest. The creature ripped the railing loose and swung it. As if it were living rope, it wrapped itself around Lucia's neck. The creature knocked the Cutlaseer away and tossed Lucia over the second floor. She dangled over the first floor by her neck.

(X)

Dante rolled over and puked blood. He had been blinded by the lightning strike. Both eyes were crusted over with scorched blood. He could still feel the electricity coursing through his body in miniature seizures. He squeezed his eyes closed and felt blood squirt down his face. He took a deep breath before opening his eyes again. Everything was coming into focus. On intuition, he sat up and saw the statue standing over him. Dante jumped to his feet and backed away as if he were going to have a heart attack. Thinking of such a thing made him realize none of his wounds ached. He pressed two fingers against his chest. The heart wound was completely sealed.

Dante and the God of Time stared at each other for a second before Lucia's scream caught their attention. A naked man covered in blue slime was hanging her by her neck. Without thinking about what he was doing, Dante drew his hand back and launched a fireball. The man dropped Lucia and disappeared in a blue flame that shot through the wall and disappeared. Dante watched the flame shrink away through the hole until it disappeared under open sky.

Lucia struggled against the metal rod wrapped around her neck. The God of Time strode towards her and seized the rod with one hand. With a single swing of his arm, the rod snapped loose. The God of Time tossed it aside and walked back to its original resting place.

Lucia stared at the statue as it picked up its glowing hour glass and kneeled on the floor. Its eyes glazed over as they were covered with metal. She nearly tripped over Koromos walking sideways to where Dante was still staring through the hole in the wall. "What happened?" she asked through a sore throat.

"The statue?" Dante asked. "Or the other thing?"

"Both. That thing came out of Ariel and took the Idda Corrof."

"How fortunate for her. Now I no longer have to kill her."

Lucia watched him raise and flex a hand. "How did you throw that fire with the Idda Corrof intact?"

Dante didn't answer. Lucia looked back at the statue as if to accuse it, but it left no sign of what it had done.


	9. Waking the Sangraal

Waking the Sangraal

The nurse sat quietly in Lilith's room. A small dagger rolled from side to side between his hands. A cold reptilian creature sat on his head. Its oversized tail flopped from side to side against his shoulders as it watched the dagger in his hands. The lizard quietly hissed and, for the third time, sank its fangs into the nurse's skull. Scorching venom seeped into what was left of his brain as he finally lost control. With the fangs still in his head, the nurse stood with the dagger ready to strike. He approached Lilith's bed and placed his fingers against her neck again. There was no pulse.

The nurse slightly lowered the dagger as if he were disappointed. His attention was momentarily stolen by something banging against the door. The exact second he turned away towards the door, Lilith revived. As if by instinct, she snatched the dagger from the nurse. Before he registered what happened, she sat up and drove the blade into the back of the reptile. It lifted its head to screech. She grabbed it with the other hand and bashed its head against the wall. Blood splattered as its skull ruptured from the impact. Then she plunged the blade into the nurse's temple and pushed him out of her way.

The creature on the other side of the door had already pushed its head through. Lilith threw herself to the floor and leapt for the closet. The hairy beast struggled to break through the hole as she quickly tossed her robe aside and got dressed in her regular clothes. Before she could reach for her coat, the monster was in the room. Its hindlegs dragged the floor as if they had not been used for several days. Without thinking, Lilith raised a hand and blasted it with a lightning bolt. She gasped when she realized what she had done. Lilith snatched the Yamato from its hiding place in the back of the closet and vaulted through the window without bothering to open it. She landed on her feet below on a piece of asphault floating in a street of lava.

"What the hell's been going on while I was gone?" She glanced at the sky as she hovered over the fiery stream. The sun was hanging low in the sky. To Lilith, this was an ominous warning in the words of her grandfather. If the Idda Corrof was not destroyed by the end of the sunset, then she would lose her powers again, and all would be doomed.

Lilith sighed. "No pressure, though."

(X)

A twelve year old girl stumbled as she climbed rocks and debris. The rest of her family stood above her on top of what used to be their home. Her father teetered carelessly on the edge of the rubble as he reached down for her hand. When she touched his fingertips, she slipped and slid a foot down the rubble. Her right shoe fell into the flood waters that had decimated the neighborhood. Acrid vapors and bubbles rose from where the shoe had fallen into the sea of acid that was once water. Skeletons of people and beasts floated by in the festering street. The father leaned further, but he could not reach her without falling over himself. The girl reached up again, but the piece of rubble she was holding on to was beginning to loosen.

In desperation, the father began searching for something he could extend for her to grab. His attention, and everyone else's, was diverted to a low roaring in the sky. Fearing another meteor strike, the father stood and fell back against the pile of rubbish.

A large flaming orb fell in front of him and stopped on the heap. Dante stood as the flames died around him. He pointed to the top of the pile without looking to telegraph what he was preparing to do. Then, standing on air, he reached down and pulled the girl up. He literally tossed her over his shoulder. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she flailed as she landed on top of her mother on what used to be the roof. Still not looking back and ignoring the gratitude, Dante was engulfed in more flames as he flew off towards the center of the city.

(X)

The accidental son of Ariel and Koromos waved his hands in the air. The lava beneath him rumbled as an island of rock appeared in the fiery river. He lowered onto the monolith as it lifted itself in the midst of fire. Dressed all in black, he sat on the rock with his legs crossed as smaller islands appeared at random along the street. The Idda Corrof glowed in his chest as he gathered its power. The air around him rippled as he consciously ripped it to shreds. Thunder clapped and roared around him, then suddenly fell silent. He listened intently for hidden messages in the air.

He was startled by a rumbling in the air. It wasn't one of his own. He stood and turned to challenge the invader. He leaned back in surprise as the Yamato pierced his neck. As Lilith dropped to the monolith, the force of her momentum shook the stone and left footprints. She quickly stood and yanked the sword free. The creature fell forward as he rushed to get a little distance. He jumped onto another monolith.

Unimpressed, Lilith asked, "Do you have a name?"

He rubbed the wound as it closed between his fingers. "You can call me Koran. You?"

Lilith raised the Yamato until the blade was under her nose. "You can call me Goddess or Sangraal."

"I'd rather not." Koran raised his hand and wiggled his fingers. The lava beneath them bubbled as if something were breathing in it. "Sangraal? Holy Blood? Your blood is anything but holy."

"That is only your opinion." Lilith raised the Yamato to her face as if to prepare for a strike. Then she suddenly stopped as she got a sense of sudden danger. At the last possible moment, she jumped back and landed on another monolith. Before Koran could jump after her, he was blinded by an instant blast of light. He lost his balance and fell into the lava river. When the light died, Dante was standing where Koran had been.

"That sucks," Lilith said as she leapt to her father's side. "He's trying to take the easy way out." Lilith looked at him sideways when he didn't answer. "What happened to you?"

She didn't know if he would have answered. Before he could open his mouth, the lava bubbled again. They watched Koran rise from the hot river. As he came up, they saw a monstrous head raise up beneath him. He was standing on a scaly, almost crystalline arachnid shaped creature with eight jointed legs. A scorpion tail rose behind it.

"Meet my new pet," Koran called to them. "It used to be a Phantom, but I upgraded it."

"I'm impressed," Dante muttered as he raised his fist. "I call the little one."

"Not a chance." Lilith raised her own fist for a quick game of Rock Paper Scissors. She played Paper, but Dante played Scissors. "Damn."

"I call the little one," he repeated.

Lilith quickly shook her head before vaulting towards the creature. Koran threw himself from the creature's head as she reached for Tiamat and Marduk. Before she actually reached the Phantom, she felt the air around her warp and press against her. Her ears popped as the air suddenly exploded, and they disappeared from the Earth.

(X)

Lilith landed on an obsidian floor. Her boots echoed into the surrounding emptiness. The sky was dark blue and decked with stars. A large burning star hovered over the horizon. Lilith closed her eyes as she strained to listen. A low rumble rolled beneath her feet. The pitch increased until it became higher than her father's devil wings' whistling. She opened her eyes the instant something under her shot her into the air. She flipped out of the way as an obsidian pillar ruptured from the ground. Three other pillars appeared from the ground around her. They were connected by a large fence of chains to form a cage.

Lilith kneeled to prepare for a leap to the top of the fence, but the Phantom appeared from above. On four legs, it landed above the cage. It tottered as the four legs held it unsteadily on the pillars. It held the other four legs in the air in an absurd balancing act. A growing shadow appeared from the Phantom's abdomen and quickly grew. Lilith raised Tiamat and Marduk and released a barrage of bullets. She cursed when she realized the shadow was falling towards her. It burst into glowing dust before falling upon her. She jumped to avoid the debris. She landed with the Yamato in hand as the shadow debris glowed and formed into goat beasts.


	10. Twilight of the Gods

Twilight of the Gods

Koran raised his hand to his chest. The Idda Corrof glowed beneath his skin. Dante watched the blood vessels pump around it. "As long as I have this," Koran said, "you can't kill me."

Dante tightened his grip on Sparda. "I'm a god. I can do anything."

"Not now you can't."

Dante and Koran stared at each other as if daring the other to make the first move. Dante's fingers itched as miniature bolts of lightning sparked across his hand. The two took a deep breath simultaneously before Koran threw himself at Dante. Dante remained perfectly still until Koran was nearly on top of him. Koran's hand shot out to sever Dante's spine from his skull in a single sharp strike to his neck. At the last moment, Dante leaned out of the way. Koran felt a knife slice into his neck. Blue blood leaked over Dante's glove. Dante quickly released the knife and delivered a swift roundhouse kick into Koran's chest. The Idda Corrof cracked slightly within Koran's chest as he flew backwards from the blow.

Koran held his arms out. He stopped in midair as if he had been caught in an invisible net. Dante opted not to give him a chance to recover nor respond. By the time Koran had stopped himself, Dante fell upon him from above and planted his foot firmly against Koran's face. Koran dropped onto a small stone island. The impact made him bite his tongue and caused his teeth to chatter. His toes dangled into the lava. He didn't notice until he smelled his own flesh cooking.

Dante rebounded and landed on the edge of a stone building. He watched as Koran stood and touched his chest as the Idda Corrof glowed. "The true test of godhood," Koran said, "is the ability, and willingness, to alter the very reality you live in. Your time has ended."

Dante watched in defiant silence as Koran leaned over slightly. Thick black drool oozed from his lips. Each drop that hit the rock jumped into the lava as if it were alive. Koran dropped to his knees as three large heads poked out of the lava. Three wolves, one black, one white, and one red, emerged from the burning river. They were several stories high with mangy slushy fur. Liquid skin dripped from their bodies. The nearest one, the white one, glared at Dante over the side of the building.

As if by reflex, Dante threw himself onto the white wolf's back. He stabbed the sword into the wolf's flesh to anchor himself as he reached for Ivory. He pointed the gun at Koran and shot three times. Koran reached out and effortlessly plucked each bullet from the air. The white wolf bucked by the time Dante got off the last shot. Dante leapt for the black wolf to avoid an unpleasant swim on the street. In mid leap, he pulled off a few more shots. Koran knocked them all aside.

Dante's boots partially sank into the skin as he landed on the black wolf. The red wolf roared and snapped at him, but it got a mouthful of air. By the time it retreated, Dante was already headed for the white wolf. He deliberately fell short of the white wolf's back and began sliding down its shoulder. He seized Sparda right before he lost his footing. As he continued his descent through the fur, the sword slashed across the wolf's neck. A geyser of cold transparent blood gushed into the air. The blade pulled free when he reached the clavicle and began sliding down the wolf's leg. He plunged Sparda into the wolf's kneecap and shattered the bone. The wolf shrieked as it fell into the lava and rolled onto its side. Its flesh began to boil and smolder.

Lava splattered as Dante pulled Sparda free. He quickly scrambled to the wolf's head, which was still partially visible. With the white wolf no longer in the way, the red wolf lunged for him.

(X)

Lilith slowly spun in a tight circle as five satyr-like creatures emerged from the shadowy dust. They crouched for a moment on the floor around her. The one directly behind her spread a pair of wings; she noticed when loose feathers fluttered past her head. She pivoted on her right heel. The Yamato slashed upwards from the chest and through the beast's chin.

Before Lilith could deliver a fatal blow, she jumped straight up to avoid a second monster that charged at her back. She landed on its head and braced her feet against the inside curves of its horns. From above, she swiped at the first beast. Blood spurted at her feet as the top of its cranium flew to the edge of the cage.

With a twist of her foot, Lilith forced the demon she rode to turn towards the others. With a second twist, the horn snapped in half. When the demon threw her aside with a flick of its head, she used the momentum to jump to the fence. One great leap at a time, she made her way to the Phantom at the top. One demon chasing her in flight seized her by the waist to pull her down. Before releasing the fence, Lilith threw the Yamato. The demon dragged her down in free fall. She watched, as if in slow motion, as the Yamato twirled towards the black crystal Phantom.

The goat demon flipped himself over so Lilith was on the bottom. She reached for Tiamat and Marduk and pointed them behind her head. The bullet spray blew off half of its face. It released her to grab its head. Its wings stretched out to slow its own descent. The demon flew blindly into the fence and clutched the chains to regain its bearings. Lilith landed in the circle the remaining three created. All three of them took flight as bullets sparked in their directions. Lilith felt her insides twist with anxiety as they literally disappeared into the air.

A familiar whizzing in the air reminded her of the Yamato. In anger, she threw the guns to the floor and raised her hand to catch the sword on its return flight. Before it reached her, an invisible hand punched into her back. She flew face first into an obsidian pillar. As soon as she was on the rebound, the force hit her again. It continuously smashed her against the pillar for several seconds. When it finally stopped, she dropped to the floor in a bloody mess.

She remained still to give herself time to survey her surroundings. The demons were still invisible except for the one that was hanging on to the fence. The Phantom was still balanced on top of the cage as if waiting for something. A small wound on its underbelly was oozing what might have been blood. Lilith rolled to her side. The Yamato blade was embedded into the stone floor. Bracing herself against the pain, she pushed herself to her feet and vaulted for the sword.

When the sword was just out of reach, an invisible hand grabbed her ankle and swung her into the air. She landed on her back against the floor. The force created a sinkhole where she fell. She coughed blood into the air. The demon on the fence glowered at her with its one usable eye. She watched stoically as it lunged for her.

(X)

Dante waited for the red wolf to snap at him. No longer worried about the white wolf's well-being, the red wolf bit into the side of its face. It tore the flesh away and gulped it down with the intention of taking Dante down with it. When the red wolf pulled its head back, it saw Dante descend upon it in a flaming fury. It backed up to avoid the intended decapitation. Instead, Dante swiped the muzzle. The front half of the wolf's mouth fell away.

Dante grabbed a handful of fur and quickly pulled himself up as the wolf fell to its knees. He made it to the shoulder blades as it quickly pushed itself up again. Dante raised Sparda to make another strike. The sword was engulfed in a dark red flame that seemed to extend from Dante's wrist. He raised his heel to prepare for the lunge, but he instantly stopped when he saw the black wolf in his peripheral vision jump towards him. Dante morphed into his demon form and flipped into the air. The metallic tip of his wing severed the black wolf's ear as he flew to a safe distance.

To his surprise, the black wolf ignored him long enough to clamp its jaws on the red wolf's neck. The black wolf ripped the red wolf's neck out with a quick twist of its head. Then black wolf turned its attention to Dante before the red one hit the ground. The last wolf standing pawed into the lava as if awaiting a command to proceed. Koran waited on his rock island in deep thought as if he never noticed the wolves. He then raised his eyes to the beginning of the sunset.


	11. Resurrection

Resurrection

Lilith braced her feet against the edge of the sinkhole as the demon launched itself towards her. With a single powerful kick, she pushed herself across the floor. As soon as the demon crashed into the hole, she planted her foot into its skull and jumped behind it. She partially slid across the floor as she snatched the Yamato from the floor. She instinctively swung in the same motion. A thick stream of blood appeared from the air behind her swing and splashed against her.

She felt the invisible force again. This time it grabbed her by her collar and hoisted her several feet into the air. When she felt it release her, she raised her free hand. Bolts of lightning flashed from her fingers into the floor. The spider web of lightning revealed where the three invisible demons were as the bolts rippled across their bodies like static. She twisted in midair to swing at the demon behind her. The Yamato blade sliced through a torso.

Before she began the trip back to the floor, the crystal Phantom above screeched. White silk threads shot down from its four raised legs. They wrapped themselves around her wrists and ankles, then spun her around as the silk covered her completely. The Phantom turned her upside down and pulled her towards its torso. Lilith stifled a scream as the silk constricted around her. The Yamato tore into her skin from the increasing pressure. Lilith continued her struggling until she felt the Phantom's scorpion stinger impale her just below her ribcage.

With a high pitched scream, Lilith transformed within the cocoon. Bolts of lightining flashed along the silk string and into the Phantom's abdomen. Part of its crystalline structure shattered. Writhing in pain, it finally lost its balance and teetered too far over the edge of the cage. Lilith's wings broke through the cocoon in time for her to avoid being taken over the side. The Phantom's stinger pulled free, and she hovered upside down momentarily as the silk fell away. Lightning flashed from her body towards the three demons that had just become visible from the previous electrical strike. All three of them were flying towards her.

With a quick thought, blinding light flashed in front of her. Everything became a blue and white negative. From the demons' view, she had disappeared in a blur. They stopped in midair for a second in utter confusion. One of them fell over when three quick slashes instantaneously appeared across its torso and neck. Before it even began dying, a second demon felt its head fall backwards from its body. The third one was kicked against the cage.

Lilith stopped and hovered again. The Yamato had a dull glow that gradually brightened. Lilith watched in surprise as the Phantom outside the cage lifted its head. Two black tentacles sprung from the back of its throat. They slashed through the chains and seized the third demon. It kicked and squealed like a pig as the tentacles pulled it into the Phantom's mouth.

As the spider scorpion commenced chewing, Lilith flew over the top of the cage. Before she fell upon the Phantom, it pushed itself backwards. Lilith hit the floor and jumped for it. The mouth tentacles lashed out again. One wrapped around her hand holding the Yamato. The other circled her waist and worked its way to her neck. Lilith covered the second tentacle with a thick layer of frost with her free hand. With a quick twist of her body, the tentacle shattered. She tossed the Yamato into the air and caught it with the free hand. She severed the other tentacle with a quick swipe. She landed with one foot on the Phantom's back and the other on its head. She turned her sword down and plunged the blade behind the Phantom's head.

(X)

The moment Koran stood, Dante felt the fading sunlight burn into his back. In the following split second, the black wolf jumped for him. With the sword ready, Dante launched himself onto the wolf's snout when it dove for the rock he stood on. His arm swung forward towards the wolf's eye. The blade of Sparda lunged into the membrane. The wolf skidded to a stop and pawed at its eye. Its howl of pain sent a vibration through the air.

Dante grabbed a handful of fur as he landed between the wolf's ears. Most of it was ripped from what passed for skin. The wolf shook itself. Dante jumped back over the wolf's head. It jerked its head back as it was momentarily blinded by the black light of his transformation. He snatched Sparda free with a backwards swing. The momentum shattered the side of the wolf's skull. It staggered to the side a few steps.

It struggled to regain its footing while simultaneously looking for Dante. It caught a glimpse of him before he disappeared. The wolf's ears were filled with whistling as it felt something slice across its neck. Before the blood began to fall, another slash appeared on the other side of its neck. Dante reappeared under the wolf's head and plunged Sparda upwards through the chin. The blade elongated until it emerged between the ears. The wolf howled as it sank into the lava. Blood burst from its nose and the wounds in its eye and head. Its head slid off the blade as it fell over.

Koran stood as a wave of lava rolled towards him. He levitated just as it swept over the rock. Dante turned around in time to see a sphere of light come to life in each hand.

"See this?" Koran teased as he held a hand up. The balls of light began to twinkle. "This is reality I hold in my hand to altar and wield as I please."

"Not if I rip the Idda Corrof from your chest."

"You can't. I am the Idda Corrof." Koran threw his hand up. A thundering wave of air rippled towards Dante. Before he could get completely out of the way, the edge of the wave shattered a metallic tip of his right wing. Dante jerked back with a sudden jolt of pain, but regained his senses as Koran held his other hand up for another shockwave. He threw Sparda at Koran and flew down after it. As if in slow motion, Koran caught the sword in midflight. He flipped it around once in his hand just as Dante fell down upon him. Koran leaned over to dodge. Dante seized his wrist and threw him into the air. The sword broke free in the process. Dante caught it before flying after Koran.

With a wave of Koran's hand, a twirling pillar of lava raised itself from the street. Dante backed away with a single flap of his wings to avoid the inevitable attack of liquid rock. On Koran's command, the lava followed Dante as he zigzagged through the burning air. It spiraled towards him until it was a considerable distance from the ground. Koran dropped his arm and halfheartedly watch the lava fall to the ground. Dante had disappeared again.

Koran listened carefully before turning and holding up his arm to fend off a blow. Dante materialized right before Sparda clashed against Koran's arm. Then Koran winced and staggered backwards as Dante's free hand slammed into Koran's chest. The force knocked Koran off the little rock island. Tiny crystal shards broke free as the Idda Corrof cracked in his chest.

(X)

Lilith shoved the Yamato as far into the Phantom's "neck" as she could and twisted it. Boiling black blood spurted over her boots. The Phantom lifted its stinger. She ripped the sword free and leapt upwards to avoid the stinger strike. She landed on the tip and swiped it off. Like a slingshot, the tail catapulted her into the air.

Lilith held the sword over her head. Flames rolled over her body and the Yamato. The Phantom turned in an awkward semicircle to face her. Lilith spread her wings as spheres of flame shot to the ground. The Phantom charged as if attempting to knock her from the air. In a show of power that surprised both of them, Lilith pointed the Yamato towards the burning star in the empty sky. A flare erupted from the star's surface and reached for the sword. It engulfed both the Yamato and Lilith in a hot red and white blaze. Lilith clamped her teeth together as she was covered in fire and star plasma.

The Phantom backed away as if in terror. Lilith appeared to be a fiery incarnation above him in an apparent show of divine power. Each flap of her wings sent little flames into the air. With a sadistic grimace, Lilith pointed the Yamato at the Phantom and charged. The Phantom leapt back as Lilith plummeted into the ground. Obsidian crumbled under her feet.

The Phantom continued to push itself backwards as she advanced on it. Pillars of hellfire burst from the ground between them. She rushed through each one as if they were just hot air. In a desperate, but tardy, attempt to gain distance, the Phantom turned in a partial sidestep. Lilith caught it in midstride as she tossed the Yamato towards it. The flaming sword sliced through the Phantom's obsidian exoskeleton. Lilith's flaming aura brightened and enlarged as she overtook the Phantom in a blaze of star plasma. The spider-scorpion shattered as she passed through it. Before the pieces hit the ground, she materialized on the other side with the sword in hand.

Lilith stood in the empty silence as the star plasma quickly siphoned off her body. A sudden rush of cold air made her shiver as she dropped to her knees. She returned to human form before she fell over. Her eyes focused on the sky as she waited for her father to finish his part.

(X)

Dante snatched a shard of the Idda Corrof as it flew past his head. Koran threw himself into the air. A lock of Dante's hair lashed out at him. Koran slapped it aside as he attempted to float farther away. The platinum tress sliced into Koran's skin. Koran jerked his hand aside and kicked out at Dante's face. Dante turned to the side to evade. With a twist of his head, the tress pulled Koran forward. Dante slung his arm forward, and Koran took a bone dart between the eyes.

Koran quickly drew the dart from his forehead. Blood shot out in the form of flying knives. One of them flew through the tress, thus severing it from Koran's arm. With a quick flick of Koran's other hand, large spears of ice materialized around them. Dante turned to knock them aside. One of them grazed his upper arm. Koran caught it with one hand as it flew his way. Dante turned to anticipate a final attack.

Koran tossed the ice spear aside. Dante charged with Sparda ready to strike. Koran prepared for a counterstrike, but Dante disappeared again. On instinct, Koran swung his fist into the air. He hit Dante against the shoulder, but wasn't fast enough to avoid Dante's second punch to his chest. The Idda Corrof cracked again. A flying shard lodged itself into Dante's knuckle.

Koran fell backwards onto the nearest rooftop. He could feel the Idda Corrof pulling apart. Broken pieces burrowed painfully through his body. As he tried to stand, Dante descended upon him with sword in hand. Koran rolled out of the way. Another platinum tress snapped out towards Koran. Koran raised his hand, and a knife instantly materialized into his palm. He swung at the hair, which dodged. Koran continued past it and aimed his next strike for Dante's face. Dante remained perfectly still as Koran plunged the knife into his heart. At the same time, Dante's fist found its way into Koran's chest again.

For the third and final time, the Idda Corrof cracked. More shards, larger than before, flew through the air. Dante staggered back as one piece pierced his left eye. He recovered in time to see Koran writhing on the roof in pain. He still had sight in his eye, but he could feel the shard burrow into his brain, then stop. Before Koran could make another move, Dante kneeled over him. His hair wrapped around Koran's neck and squeezed. Koran sat up as if to attack him, then fell back as the blood vessels in his eyes ruptured from the sudden pressure. Koran swung at Dante again. Dante swiped Koran's hand aside as if Koran were a child. Dante then raised his hand with the Idda Corrof shard in the knuckle. With only a moment's hesitation, he plunged his fingers into Koran's forehead with the force of a bullet. Dante's fingers sunk into the brain. The tresses continued to tighten again until Dante heard Koran's neck snap.

As soon as Koran's neck was broken, the Idda Corrof in his chest completed its separation. Dante waited for Koran's body to go limp before releasing him. He pushed his hand into Koran's chest and extracted one half of the Idda Corrof. He pulled his hand back and kicked the body over the side of the building. The last of the sunlight finally disappeared into twilight.


	12. Destiny on a Coin Toss

Destiny on a Coin Toss

Lilith gazed at the last sunrise she would ever see as a princess. She stretched across Matier's roof and closed her eyes. She drifted into the first sleep she had experienced since she revived in the hospital the week before. The streets of Dumaray Island, and much of the rest of the world, were covered with obsidian and ash. The acidic flood waters were now simply water, but they still sloshed on what used to be the doorsteps of thousands of people. She rested in a dreamless sleep until the sun was high overhead. She awoke when someone violently shook her. She covered her eyes and sat up.

"You couldn't wait until sunset?" Lilith demanded with an implied threat.

Lucia ignored it. "Your father is waiting. If you want to talk with him, now's your only chance. You can't get another."

"I know already." Lilith stretched her arms to her sides and above her head as she stood. Then she cracked her neck with a quick and careful turn of her head. "I'm ready."

(X)

On the stairway in the main hall of the castle on Mallet Island, Koromos awoke in a bloody coughing fit. For the past week he had been in a catatonic state as his recovery from the effects of the Idda Corrof left his body racked with pain. The coughing spasm continued until he felt something drop into the back of his throat. With a final powerful hack, Koromos forced the object into his mouth. It was round and metallic. Koromos spat it onto the floor. The bullet that had been lodged in his brain rolled away from him.

"I survived," he mumbled, "yet again."

He painstakingly forced himself to his feet. He ignored the God of Time as he approached what used to be Ariel on the walkway. A human shaped stain on the floor was the only thing left of her body. Koromos stared at it stoically before spitting on it and returning to the staircase. "I never really liked you anyway," he grumbled. He glanced at the God of Time, then performed a double take. The statue's eyes were glowing.

"You are cunning for a mere statue. What is your purpose in the great scheme of things?"

"Listen," he heard a low voice rumble from deep within the statue.

Koromos wouldn't have believed the statue had spoken if he hadn't seen what the statue had done to Dante. "Listen to what? What do you have that would interest me?"

The statue remained silent. Koromos turned to escape the increasing unease but stopped halfway down the stairs. A young boy was sitting in the middle of the floor. Koromos placed a hand onto his gun as he slowly approached the child. The boy twirled and twisted a Rubik's cube in his hands. Slick white hair covered the boy's head. When he looked up, he stared at Koromos with bright silver eyes. To Koromos's amusement, the boy had a labret piercing under his bottom lip. He smiled slightly before returning his attention to the Rubik's cube.

"Who are you?" Koromos asked softly. "What are you doing here?" The boy giggled while still focused on the Rubik's cube. "What's so funny?"

The boy tilted his head. "Why would you ask such a silly question?"

Koromos tightened his grip on his gun. "What's your name? Are you Dante's child?"

"Dante is my Grampa. My name is Dorian." The boy looked at Koromos as if he honestly believed Koromos was insane.

"Lilith has no children." Koromos turned back to the statue. It's eyes were still glowing. "Very clever. What are you trying to prove?"

The child spoke one last time. "See you later, Daddy?"

Koromos stiffened as if he'd been slapped. He knew if he turned around, the child would be gone. He approached the statue with his hand still on his gun, though he knew it was useless. "Do you fancy yourself a prophet," Koromos asked the statue, "or a sadist?"

The statue's only response was total silence.

(X)

Dante stood in a forest with his back against a tree. He flipped a coin incessantly as he waited patiently. Distorted visions of the past, present, and future ran through his mind. The shard of the Idda Corrof that was embedded in his head had begun a series of clairvoyant episodes, but he had yet to figure out what the one in his hand would do. He fought to hold the visions back by force of will. He remained this way for several minutes until he heard the footsteps. He stuffed the coin into a pocket before Lucia appeared with Lilith in tow. Lucia stopped short while Lilith continued her trek towards her father.

"Are you ready?" Dante asked. "It's time to fulfill your destiny."

Lilith shoved her thumbs into her back pockets. "That is a loaded statement."

"But accurate nonetheless." Dante handed her his cell phone. "This is yours now. All those languages you learned will finally come in handy."

"I know. Ruling the world isn't so bad anymore. I'm okay with the life you've given me."

"Good, because it's the only one you can have."

"How long?" Lilith asked in a pleading tone. "How long will you be gone?"

Dante shook his head. "I don't know, assuming I return at all. Isaiah and I have to hide our respective halves of the Idda Corrof where they'll never be found again, and I've never had part of it in my body before. Learning to totally control it could easily become a lifelong task. If I must disappear with it, then so be it."

"That is dedication," Lilith teased. "I simultaneously hate and admire your enthusiasm."

"It's not enthusiasm. It is a willingness. . ."

". . . to do what must be done," Lilith finished. "I know, but I could use a little hope, if you have any to give."

With a wry smile, Dante reached for the coin in his pocket. "I'll flip this coin. If it's heads, I return. Tails, I don't. Agreed?"

Lilith nodded. She turned her head away as Dante flipped the coin. He called for her attention when he slapped it against his hand. "Call it. Make a guess first."

Lilith fought back a scowl. "Just show the coin." Still smiling, Dante lifted his hand to reveal the coin. It had landed heads up.

"What do you know?" Dante said. "It's your lucky day." With a flick of his hand, the coin flew through the air. Lilith caught it in midflight. "Keep it."

Lilith inhaled deeply. "Is this it, then?"

"Yes." Dante pushed himself from the tree. "Go home, and when you wake up, you'll be the alpha of the pack."

"Will you honor the coin toss?"

"To the best of my ability."

Lilith leaned in close for a quick embrace. "I'll hold you to it." She turned to leave after releasing him. "I'll be waiting, and not alone."

When she was still barely within earshot, Dante muttered, "Love you." Lilith responded by simply raising her hand. The coin was pressed between two fingers. She felt a gust of wind followed by the familiar whistle of her father's wings.

"You work for me now," Lilith said to Lucia. "I'll need your support and service more than ever."

"Then you have it."

Lilith raised Dante's coin. She turned it over repeatedly, gasped, then laughed. "My father is more confident than I realized."

"Why is that?" Lucia asked.

Lilith raised her hand. "It's a double headed coin."


End file.
